The Post with the end of an era
When I was little I was into cartoons like most every other kid my age. Saturday mornings were all about filling a bowl with sugary cereal and parking in front of the TV. However, unlike most kids I only had a passing interest in the cartoons. I was more worried about what came on after them on many of the local UHF channels. That was when I became engrossed with professional wrestling.

Growing up in the 80's there were two guys that you knew- either Hulk Hogan (who represented the WWF and was backed by higher production values) or Ric Flair (who wrestled for the NWA in many buildings that were high school gymnasiums with maybe 5,000 of the most rabid fans you've ever seen.) Hogan was the larger than life personality while Flair was the reason so many kids my age are now in wrestling. He was well respected and known as being the best. In fact Triple H at the WWE hall of fame induction Saturday night made a comment to this effect saying, "People say arguably Flair is the greatest wrestler ever, well I've yet to hear the argument against it."

Some time around May of last year word came out that Ric Flair was thinking of finally retiring at Wrestlemania 24. It sounded absurd considering he has always been around- and as someone who grew up watching him in these rinky dink arenas- you couldn't see him doing anything else.

However around Novemeber they hinted at it again having him state he will never retire, but then getting told the next match he lost would be his last. Eventually this led to a few weeks ago where Flair was announced as the first inductee to the 2008 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. He was announced by Shawn Michaels- a guy who in many ways is the 90's generational version of Flair in the 80's.

The following week Flair said he wanted to wrestle Michaels at Wrestlemania to which Shawn was lukewarm. Flair took that as an insult thinking Shawn thought it was a guarantee he would win. Shawn reluctantly accepted only to turn it down again the following week saying he couldn't bring himself to retire Flair.

This past week on Raw Flair and Shawn had a confrontation where Shawn said he didn't want the match but if Flair persisted "The SHowstopper" would show Flair why he is great. Flair told him he wasn't going to win. To that Shawn reminded Flair of the story of "Old Yeller." That flipped Flair out and left us with this simple storyline- Shawn didn't want to face his hero with a loss meaning he is done. However, he was goaded into the match by Flair and was telling him be careful what you wish for.

Last night watching with the group of people I watch with there was some discussion about whether they might let Flair win and get one more match. When Michaels music hit and he walked out, looking like a man who had been crying, that erased any doubt.

For 22 minutes the two men had a match that while not the greatest match ever, is almost unmatched in atmosphere. Shawn at one point went for his finisher "Sweet Chin Music" (a kick to the chin) but had second thoughts. Flair almost got him to submit to the figure four twice but Shawn hit his move for a two count. Towards the end he hit Flair with it again and crwaled to the corner to line it up one more time.

Shawn was going to start stomping the mat like normal but thought better of it. Flair was struggling to his feet. When the camera finally locked on Flair's face you could see tears streaming down his face as he got to his feet and told Shawn to bring it. Michaels looked down at the ground dejectedly and then looked at Flair and said, "I'm sorry. I love you," and then kicked him square in the jaw and got the 3 count.

After the match Shawn got right next to Flair and whispered something to him and then kissed him on the forehead. Flair was laying there and you could see he was crying. Shawn immediately went to the back and let Flair have the ring.

Ric stood up with tears flowing and saluted the crowd as almost 75,000 people in the Citrus Bowl gave him a standing ovation and bowed to him. Flair rolled to ringside and kissed his family- who were all crying as well. He then slauted the crowd again and walked up the ramp into the back one last timw with the camera following him the whole way.

I had said on Friday that wrestling is a lot like mini-movies and this was no exception. This was the end of many Westerns as the good guy walks off into the sunset with his head held high.

It was every reason I ever loved wrestling, and it's every reason I will never stop watching.
- posted by Brian @ 3/31/2008 01:12:00 PM

 
The Post with my Wrestlemania excitement
It's that time of the year again where my geekdom takes center stage as World Wrestling Entertainment prepares to invade the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida- packing somewhere between 65 and 75, 000 fans for Wrestlemania XXIV.

Seriously, 24.

Many wonder why I like wrestling. I seem fairly intelligent so why am I amused by fake fights.

You have to understand- wrestling matches are like mini movies.

You have your main players (the wrestlers involved), your supporting players (fans, any managers, announcers). Combine those ingredients together and you should get a decent amount of action.

Some matches like movies are better than others. Some are your popcorn, summer fare. These would be stunt matches.

Some are your masterpiece, "No Country for Old Men" type matches where everything works and you are left stunned for 35 minutes and before you know it- you're forgetting what you're watching is fake and are completely drawn in by the storyline.

Wrestlemania takes that to another level as they bring in celebrities, and make it a huge weekend spectacle of action. This year is no different.

Opening Wrestlemania and singing "America the Beautiful" will be John E. Legend. "That's So Raven" star Raven Symone will be in attendence with the Make-A-Wish kids. Star of her own reality show (and all around foxy looking chick) Kim Kardashian will be in attendence as will two other celebs. One of whom is overseeing this match

Bunny Mania Match- Beth Phoenix/Melina vs Ashley/Maria w/ speical ref Snoop Dogg...Bunny Mania sinec Maria and Ashley have posed in Playboy. The remaining WWE divas will surround ringside

Belfast Brawl- Finlay vs JBL- This will be your Die Hard match where two guys will just beat the holy hell out of each other

ECW Battle Royal and Title defense. Before they go on the air there will be a 24 man battle royal. The winner gets a shot at Chavo Guerrero. This will be like a spoof type comedy where you throw a bunch of things at the wall and see what sticks


- posted by Brian @ 3/28/2008 01:19:00 PM

 
The Post with my 10 under the radar women
Everyone knows the women that 95% of the men in America find hot- Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Eva Longoria, and the list goes on.

That's all well and good. I mean really- Jessica Biel is a fine looking woman. However there are a bunch of other women out there who are great looking in their own way. That's the girls I like. I look for that in woman for my personal life as well. I don't need nor necessarily want the girl who is the one everyone recognizes. I like the one who is a little off the radar.

That being said I give to you ten women who are famous that to me are hot for various reasons, but might not show up on others radar. No particular order.

Maggie Lawson- This 27 year old had done a bunch of bit parts in various shows before she landed a role on the USA hit "Psych" which will soon also start airing on NBC.

Amy Adams- The 33 year oldactress has been on my radar since I caught the movie Drop Dead Gorgeous in the summer of 99. Since then she has received acclaim for films like Junebug, and most recently played the princess in the Disney movie Enchanted

Crista Flanagan- This 32 year old falls under my funny girls category. She has been on Mad TV for a few years now. Her stand-up comic character is great

Kristin Wiig- Another funny girl, this one from Saturday Night Live. She is 34 years old and her character Penelope- a lady who has to constantly one-up your story- is hilarious. Liked her a lot on The Joe Schmo Show on Spike TV a few years back.

Kristin Chenoweth- Hard to tell why I like this 39 year old from Oklahoma isn't it? Her voice is too high for some but just perfect for me. She is currently on the excellent ABC program, "Pushing Daisies."

Kari Byron- Another smart girl, this 33 year old shows up on Mythbusters helping the two hosts in their various experiments to make science cool

Rachel Ray- This 39 year old is just great. She's really cute, and she is an awesome cook. She can be seen all over the Food Network and on her syndicated daytime talk show

Scout Taylor Compton- The youngest on the list at 19, this girl is gaining points by showing up in a bunch of horror movies. She was in the great film "Wicked Little Things" and then played Laurie Strode in Rob Zombie's version of 'Halloween."

- posted by Brian @ 3/26/2008 05:51:00 PM

 
The Post with Barack Obama's Speech
Last week Barack Obama delivered what will- IMO- go down as one of the all-time great speeches of this generation. He hit every note perfectly from both a political and social standpoint.

At the very least it will be a turning point, where he both solidified his candidacy, and forced us all to look at ourselves and our roles in the race war.

The only negative is- the right and many on the left- have been looking for every avenue to introduce race to this campaign and he opened the door. He also effectively shut it, but the trolls in Washington will still try and sneak in. For those that missed it, here is his complete speech. Sorry about the length but it is a good read


“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.” Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787. The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations. Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution – a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time. And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time. This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren. This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story. I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible. It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one. Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans. This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either “too black” or “not black enough.” We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn. On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike. I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed. But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth – by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:“People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend’s voice up into the rafters….And in that single note – hope! – I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion’s den, Ezekiel’s field of dry bones. Those stories – of survival, and freedom, and hope – became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn’t need to feel shame about…memories that all people might study and cherish – and with which we could start to rebuild.”

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety – the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity’s services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions – the good and the bad – of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias. But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America – to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality. The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through – a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American. Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, “The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past.” We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven’t fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today’s black and white students.Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments – meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today’s urban and rural communities.A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one’s family, contributed to the erosion of black families – a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods – parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement – all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us. This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What’s remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn’t make it – those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations – those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician’s own failings.And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time. Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding. This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy – particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances – for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans — the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives – by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.Ironically, this quintessentially American – and yes, conservative – notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright’s sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change. The profound mistake of Reverend Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It’s that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country – a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old — is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know — what we have seen – is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope – the audacity to hope – for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds – by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper. In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well. For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.We can do that.But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change. That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time. This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don’t have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together. This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn’t look like you might take your job; it’s that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit. This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should’ve been authorized and never should’ve been waged, and we want to talk about how we’ll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned. I would not be running for President if I didn’t believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation – the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election. There is one story in particularly that I’d like to leave you with today – a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King’s birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta. There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there. And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat. She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother’s problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn’t. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.” “I’m here because of Ashley.” By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.
- posted by Brian @ 3/26/2008 02:15:00 PM

 
The Post with my Easter Weekend
A great couple of days off.

Thursday night I went out to Red Hills for trivia night and won myself a T-Shirt (Coors Light- but oh well) and a Sixers sweatshirt. I technically didn't win the sweatshirt but I will claim I won it from now til the end of time.

They did trick me at RH though. They were running a special of one dollar lager drafts. I'm not usually a big lager drinker but for a dollar I'll deal. So I drank like 5. The last one I ordered was apparently just past midnight so I got hit with the full price. Dammit!

Friday morning I got up and hit Shady Maple with some people. Ate way too much food as is common there. Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and cheese omelet, scrapple, french toast sticks, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, chicken fingers, and ice cream were consumed. The one kid who went got a bacon and chocolate chip omelet which looked as gross as it sounds. I would imagine the cook laughed at him before realizing he was being serious.

Saturday I went to the gym and am getting close to my ultimate goal. 6 more weeks of work.

Saturday night then I went to a friends house where they had an Easter egg hunt. First they had one for the kids which was your normal type hunt. Then there was one for us adults. There were some eggs with candy, but there were some with condoms. Then you won prizes like KY Jelly or something like that.

It's probably good I didn't get any condoms becasue I really have no need for them at the moment as my dry spell continues. Also unless one of my hands has a disease the rest of my body doesn't I'm in good shape.


Yesterday went to church in the morning to ring in Easter. Afterwards we went to the nursing home where my grammy lives and had Easter dinner which consisted of ham w/ pineapple glaze, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. Had some kind of creme de menthe cake for dessert which was ok.

Went home then and skimmed through some old business books so I could brush up for my job interview this morning. Had that and I think it went well but we'll see how it went in a few days or weeks or so.

That's it
- posted by Brian @ 3/24/2008 02:10:00 PM

 
The Post with the last day of Country Week
Today we close by counting down my favorite 20 songs from one of my favorite artists.

Brooks and Dunn

I'll give you the song, album, and a short thing about it.

20. "How Long Gone"/ If You See Her- A fun little song about a guy who is wondering how he's supposed to make plans with his woman if she doesn't come back.

19. "You Can't Take the Honky Tonk out of the Girl"/ Red Dirt Road- Song about a girl who no matter where she goes brings her wild side. Contains an opening riff that shows their love of the Rolling Stones.

18. "Red Dirt Road" / Red Dirt Road- A great song covering how he learned everything he needed to know in the house he grew up.

17. "Honky Tonk Truth" / The Greatest Hits Collection- He won't cheat on you and he'll swear on the bar. Or at least think what happens at the bar stays there.

16. "Whiskey Under the Bridge" / Waitin' on Sundown- Typical drinking song turned into an up-tempo swing. Break my heart cause I'll just drink some whiskey.

15. "Husbands and Wives" / If You See Her- Great cover of a Roger Miller song

14. "Ain't Nothin' Bout You" / Steers & Stripes- Perfect little love song to a woman in which everything about her is perfect for him.

13. "It's Getting Better All the Time" /The Greatest Hits Collection II- A man who is almost over the girl who broke his heart. Time is healing him.

12. "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" / Waitin' On Sundown- Works as a break-up song, works as a song about someone dying. Really well done in concert

11. "Hard Workin' Man" / Hard Workin' Man- An ode to the 40 hour work week blue collars

10. "Lost and Found" / Brand New Man- Trying to track down the woman who he chased away

9. "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)" / Hard Workin' Man- A man simply trying to get a handle on this country girl

8. "That Ain't No Way to Go" / Hard Workin' Man- Trying to figure out why the girl didn't at least let him know she was leaving instead of leaving him a letter on the mirror

7. "If You See Him/If You See Her" / If You See Her- Great duet with with Reba McEntire, about a former couple trying to communicate through mutual friends.

6. "My Maria" / Borderline- Great cover of an old B.W. Stevenson song.

5. "Play Something Country" / Hillbilly Deluxe- Hopping around town chasing a girl looking for something country style.

4. "Brand New Man" / Brand New Man- Their debut single and still sounds great after all these years.

3. "Neon Moon" / Brand New Man- A break-up song where you seek the local bar to drown your sorrows

2. "Boot Scootin' Boogie" / Brand New Man- Their mega-hit which started a dance craze.

1. "Believe" / Hillbilly Deluxe- A gospel country sounding song with Ronnie Dunn hitting every note and nuance of it perfectly
- posted by Brian @ 3/20/2008 07:57:00 AM

 
The Post with Day 3 of country week
I decided to cut one of the lists of favorite songs by an artist. It cna wait. So today I will hit you with 10 country artists that you might not know but should.

Some of these fall under the "alternative country" banner which means they do all this stuff that makes them sound retro and much more relevant to country music than what is out there now. Some skew towards southern rock outlaw stuff. Some are more singer/songwriter based. Some have had some minor radio success before drifitng off to their lives playing for a small, rabid group of fans.

In no particular order

1. Thrift Store Cowboys

- Mixing alt country and indie rock this Lubbock, Texas band have made a name playing all kinds of dives in the south east corner of the US. Check out "Nowhere with You."

2. Todd Snider

- Singer-songwriter out of Portland who is known for his witty lyrics. He originally worte "Alright Guy" which has become a concert hit for Gary Allan. He recently came back to a major lable and scored with the album "The Devil You Know" which included the protest song, "You Got Away with It."

3. Old Crow Medicine Show

- Most known for their appearances on A Prairie Home COmpanion. They are a folk/bluegrass band that got their start near Ithaca, NY. They are a punkified acoustic band. Check out "Big Iron World"

4. John Prine

- A folk/country singer who had some commerical success in the 70's. "The Missing Years" from 1991 is a great album.

5. Gillian Welch

- She dubs her folk/ alt country style American primitative. her music is often described as soothing. Check out her version of "I'll Fly Away" frmo the movie O Brother Where Art Thou.

6. Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash

- A mexi-country band out of San Diego that better be good considering they name check Johnny Cash in their band name. Really good easy flowing music from them. Check out the song "Seven Steps" which is a latin fueled country song.

7. Old 97's

- Alternative country band out of Dallas, Texas. They describe themselves as a rock band with influences from the Pixies to Merle Haggard. It is reflected in their work. Check out the album "Too Far to Care"

8. Radney Foster

- Had some success on radio both with partner Lloyd and as a solo artists. Today he is relegated to writing some great songs "A Real Fine Place to Start" for Sara Evans and "Raining on Sunday" for Keith Urban. He is far too good to be not played on country radio. Check out either his big record "Del Rio Texas, 1959" or his most recent one "The World We Live In."

9. The Warren Brothers

- Had success on country radio in the late 90's but that faded. They had a resurgence of sorts with a CMT show in 2005 but even that and a song released with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw dueting couldn't get them back on the charts. They most recently had success by writing the really touching Tim McGraw song "If You're Reading This, " about a letter sent home prior to a solider dying. Check out their 2004 album "Well Deserved Obscurity" which features the excellent song, "Between the River and Me" about a young adult maybe/maybe not murdering his alcoholic stepfather.

10. Drive by Truckers

- They skew heavily towards rock but its more of the dirty southern rock era. They sound like a lot like Lynyrd Skynyrd's swamp music sounding stuff. They are known for their 3 axe attack- 3 guitars with bass and drum. Recently however they tried to change the stigma and recorded some albums that sounded more like the Stones. Check out their best album "Southern Rock Opera" which uses the rise and fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd as a backdrop for the rise and fall of the south in the 70's. Very high concept stuff.
- posted by Brian @ 3/19/2008 02:16:00 PM

 
The post with Day 2 of Country Music Week
Today's list is:

The 5 acts on country radio right now who piss me off. You may agree with me, you may not. It's all subjective. Some of these acts I've heard better from. Some have a good song or two. Others are beyond help. Some still have time to turn it around. So let's get started.


5. Montgomery Gentry

- This would fall under the "I've heard better category." My TOwn was a great album. They've been sloping downhill ever since. "Gone" was a dumb song, so was, "What Do Ya Think About That." Their new one isn't any better. They need to get back to writing and singing great songs and stop recording ones that include lines like, "Going blah blah blah just jacking their jaw..." Even the dumbest, hickiest person in the world thinks that is a dumb line. I want more stuff like "Speed" and "Tattoos and Scars"

4. Halfway to Hazard

- Maybe this is a little unfair considering they are still new but they are grating to listen to. Their album is an attempt to bring the excess of 80's hair metal into country music. The problem is they are missing the virtue and conviction of the genre. The music is loud and not very good. The vocals are screamed but lack melody. And the lyrics are the cliche ridden garbage. I downloaded the album for free and was only able to listen to half of it. PLus their big debut, "Daisy" is completely silly and relies too much on an emotional punchline that isn't there.

3. Gretchen Wilson

- At least country radio is starting to agree with me. On some level I can appreciate her biggest hits "Redneck Woman" and "Homewrecker" but outside of those two songs she just relies too heavily on the formula of those songs. Since "All Jakced Up" (8 songs ago) nothign of hers has cracked the top 20. So maybe country radio is coming to its senses.

2. Big & Rich

- Horrible in almost every way as artists. They burst onto the country scene as the alternative- "country music without prejudice". They said they were mixing country music, rock and hip hop into a mixture that country radio would gobble up. It hasn't outside of a few songs. Of the three albums they've released there are maybe 5 really well written songs. That leaves a lot of garbage. PLus I find it funny that their biggest success has been with the most traditional sounding stuff mainly "Lost in this Moment" which was a blatant attempt to have a big hit. They wrote a wedding song and it went #1. Their best songs though are "Holy Water" and "8th of November" which are traditional theme songs. Also "Save a Horse" prominently features a fiddle and name drops Willie Nelson.

On a side note. John Rich's show on CMT "Gone COuntry" is one of the worst things ever. They brought in a bunch of artists from other genres and had a competition to create a new country star. To do this they had tasks where they shoveled horseshit. Seriously. Nothing like playing directly into every silly stereotype that people have about country singers. What does shoveling shit have to do with writing a country song? John Rich has written some very good songs so I'm not sure what the correlation is.

Then he browbeat people for their lyrics and screamed at the one chick becasue of her answer to a question becasue she didn't respect country music. Neither does he. And how can a guy who has mis-fired writing numerous times, "Loud" "Coming to Your City" "Love Train" get on someones cases for writig a bad song. Country is a different beast than they are used to. Maybe if they could've spent some more time on the songs instead of making dinner for the MusikMafia they would've been better.

1. Rascal Flatts

- SO much promise after that first album. "I'm Moving On" was just an outstanding song about a person closing a chapter in their past and moving ahead not knowing what's waiting for him. Then they became the whiny pop singers of country radio. And the lead singer's voice was post-produced about another octave higher. As far as I can tell their gimmick is- portly lead singer gels his hair and then sings like a chick.

I imagine they have a lucrative career right now with women because they are more feminine than the females in the audience.

They are the worst of the current pop country movement and the sooner they are off my radio the better. What's more maddening is they hit you with a decent song here and there to remind you how much potential they have before they rifle out 4 more songs of sounding like whiny teenage girls who just got told curfew is 11 and not midnight.
- posted by Brian @ 3/18/2008 02:10:00 PM

 
The Post with Day 1 of country music week
I probbaly should've picked a better week since it's a 4 day work week but oh well. This will either be only a 4 list week (the most likely option) or I'll post Friday at some point with the final list (less likely)

Anyway today we are going to look at 10 essential country albums. Albums that if someone were to ask me about country music I would direct them too. No particular order


Mountain Music by Alabama (1982)-The three main songs all went #1 and it announced that Alabama wasn't going anywhere

-Mountain Music
- Take Me Down
- Close Enough to Perfect


Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town by Emmylou Harris (1978)- A departure from her earlier albums but the one that made her a huge star in the genre

- Easy From Now On
- To Daddy
- Two More Bottles of Wine

Don't Rock the Jukebox by Alan Jackson (1991)- The second album- and second big hit- solidified him as a country classic

- I'd Love You All Over Again
- Don't Rock the Jukebox
- Dallas- Someday
- Midnight in Montgomery
- Love's Got a Hold On You

Strait From the Heart by George Strait (1982)- Includes his first number 1 single

- Fool Hearted Mmeory
- Marina Del Ray
- A Fire I can't Put Out
- Amarillo by Morning

Highwayman by The Highwaymen (1985)- A country music super group as 4 heavyweights of the industry came together to record an album

- Highwayman
- Big River
- The Last Cowboy Song
- Desperados Waiting on a Train

No Fences by Garth Brooks (1990)- Say what you want about the guy but a monster selling album and it made him a bonafide international star with crossover appeal.

- Friends in Low Places
- Unanswered Prayers
- The Thunder Rolls
- Two of a Kind (Workin' on a Full House)

I've Always Been Crazy by Waylon Jennings (1978)- A great album from one of the outlaws

- I've Always Been Crazy
- Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand

Killin' Time by Cline Black (1989)- Maybe the best country debut ever

- A Better Man
- Nobody's Home
- Killin' Time

Before the Next Teardrop Falls by Freddy Fender (1974)- Another contender for best country debut ever

- Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
- Before the Next Teardrop Falls
- Please Don't Tell me How the Story Ends

Mr. T by Conway Twitty (1981)- One of my favorite albums as a kid

- Tight Fittin' Jeans
- We Had it All
- Red Neckin', Love Makin' Night
- posted by Brian @ 3/17/2008 02:18:00 PM

 
The Post with my announcement about next week
Nothing really to update this week.

I've decide next week will be country music week in the blog here. That means a bunch of lists for all.

So here is the lists that will appear (not necessarily in this order)

1.) My least favorite country artists on the radio right now- maybe top 10, at least top 5

2.) My essential country albums- maybe top 20, at least top 10

3.) My country artists you don't know but should- top 10

4 & 5.) Two of my favorites I will count down my 20 favorite songs by them.

Yes this does mean the news will not appear next week for those that look forward to it. I will indulge myself all week
- posted by Brian @ 3/14/2008 02:38:00 PM

 
The Post with this week's News
Dateline: Danbury, Conneticut

http://wcbstv.com/local/Sleeping.Student.Lawsuit.2.676166.html

- How dare you teacher? How dare you try to wake up a student when they fall asleep in class. More proof that society is becoming about results than the action that caused the result. Sustained damage to his eardrum- if he doesn't fall asleep the teacher doesn't need to slam their hand. Am I missing something here?

Dateline: Copenhagen, Denmark

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=nw20080313150334966C704351

- Dumbasses. Why not just hand your gun and baton to the criminals as well. Nothing bad can come of that at all.

Dateline: New York

http://gothamist.com/2008/03/12/no_dogs_allowed.php

- This story isn't really amusing to me. It makes me angry though. According to this principal a deaf kid shouldn't be allowed to have a guard dog in the school becasue it might cause a few kids to sneeze. They keep those allergic type things on file. Is it too much to try and devise a plan where the kids with allergies get a little leeway around the dog? How do you justify teaching kids that it's not cool to discriminate and all that and then stand at the door to disallow access to a student. The 150 million dollar lawsuit is crazy as well.


Dateline: Britney Spears new video

http://thesuperficial.com/2008/03/britney_spears_replaced_by_car.php

- She's a superhero in a future world? What's her superpower- making hot chicks look like train wrecks within a year? Or forcing women to neglect their kids? Apparently being highly intelligent and having virtue isn't a requirement of superheroes in this made-up world.

Dateline: Port Chester, New York

http://www.wcbs880.com/Little-Children-Found-Wandering-in-Westchester/1810097

- See Britney's powers transcend time now.
- posted by Brian @ 3/13/2008 02:02:00 PM

 
The Post with catching up
Yesterday I didn't post because I stayed home from work sick. I didn't feel good when I went to bed Monday night and still felt bad yesterday morning. I did some talking with the porcelain god and decided that it wasn't a good day to go to work. I felt better after my talk and probably could've went in, but no sense being a hero when you have plenty of vacation time.

So I spent most of yesterday sleeping and watching tv. My dog came in and laid on the bed with me so we hung out all day long. He's probably sitting at home today thinking, "Dammit- that bastard teased me with a bed all day long."

So here I am today at work feeling much better. That's about all I have for today though because nothing is going down.

I mean world wide there is (Geraldine Ferraro is an idiot) but right here- nothing happening.

I decided next week I'm doing a country music themed week with many lists, but I'm not sure which ones yet. Stay tuned.
- posted by Brian @ 3/12/2008 02:27:00 PM

 
The Post with little sleep, 80's music, and rain
I hate Daylight Savings Time. it's stupid, pointless, saves no energy, and needs to be abolished yesterday.

Friday night I went to Red Hills Tavern for 80's night (I've got free time on Friday nights occasionally now) with my buddy, his sister, and her husband. Fun time. It's always good to get out and hang with people and watch goofballs dance. There was this one guy who apparently has watched the Rolling Stones, "Start Me Up" video way too often. Or he practices the dance way too often. Neither one is good.

It served to remind me of a few things though. Why I don't really frequent bars- that initial blast of smoke cloud that hits you is intense. We badly need that smoking ban bill to come to PA.

It's really not a good place to meet women. There are some really good looking girls there but they aren't like keeper girls. I think the girls with my friends sister were trying to get my buddy and I to keep partying with them which I would've done had they not looked like large Marge, and Mothra.

It was interesting though that I kind of got hit on when I was walking back from the bar. I think the girl was trying to get me to talk with her friend. Of course I was oblivious to this because I was trying to carry two open beers and navigate the little 1 foot wide space back to where I was standing. But hey- small victories- stay the course.

Which leads to point three.

The people. Being crowded is one thing that I absolutely can't stand. I have my personal space and hate when it gets invaded. Then there are the people who shouldn't be allowed to drink becasue they end up trying to start fights with other people. There was almost a fight near us. In my earlier years I would've tried to egg it on but not anymore.

Still though I had fun and look forward to doing it again.

So I got home at like 2:20 and until I took teh dog out and fell asleep it was 2:45. The dog was up at 6:35 to go out again and I couldn't fall back asleep. Luckily (unluckily maybe because it prevented me from changing the oil in my car) it rained all day so I ended up catching about a 2 hour nap while I was watching baseketball.

I went to bed around 11:45 and lost an hour getting up at 7:30- which means under 7 hours of sleep. Not good.

Last night I put away all the meat we got from my cousins butchering and watched my Sunday Food Network shows. That was the weekend.
- posted by Brian @ 3/10/2008 02:29:00 PM

 
The Post with this week's News You Can't Use
I was kind of busy yesterday and not really up for a humorous look at the news. Today I'm not as busy and things are mildly better today


Dateline: Wichita, Kansas

http://www.kansas.com/news/updates/story/334182.html

- Have you guys never heard of the Internet? You can find all the porn you want there without ever leaving your house. You don't even need to put on pants. Hell you can eat a sammich and drink a cola while you watch. Has anyone ever been in an adult video store. At any one time it's ten people looking at the ground and never making eye contact with anyone- even the cashier.

Well except for that time I saw Briana Banks in Excitement Video. Although to be honest, there wasn't a lot of eye contact there either. Fake or not- they were big.

Dateline: Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0002CYTL2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

- This probably shouldn't amuse me as much as it does. Apparently this thing (if it's real) is a fake airport security checkpoint. Just read the comments section

Dateline: AOL money & fiance

http://money.aol.com/investing/brands-that-will-disappear-in-2008

- Actually you might be able to use this. I notice there is one company AOL leaves off the endangered brand lists. Hint: They published the article

Dateline: Roseburg, Oregon

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/05/ap/strange/main3912632.shtml

- Isn't the point of committing a crime to be inconspicous? How does dressing as a cowboy qualify as blending in? Then on top of that- why would you offer the doughnuts to a police officer? Exactly how much attention are you trying to bring upon yourself in this instance? Why not just hang a big sign around your neck that says, "Hey! I just committed a crime."

Dateline: San Antonio, Texas

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23500564/

- Just losing his phone number or changing the locks probably would've been so much easier. Neither would've cost almost 20,000 dollars in fines as well.

Dateline: Denver, Colorado

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/06/simple-kiss-at-school-may-morph-into-police-case/

- Sometimes I think the world is losing its collective mind. Oh my god a 6 year old told another 6 year old they have a sexy booty. I'm absolutely 100% sure they understand what they said.
- posted by Brian @ 3/07/2008 01:21:00 PM

 
The Post with some random stuff
So as you can tell the last time I posted I wasn't in the best state of mind. Truth be told- I'm still not.

I'm still trying to shake this damn cold/allergy thing. It's like 98% gone but the 2% left is being persistent.

I can't sleep worth a damn right now. Sunday night I woke up having some kind of horrible nightmare where I have no idea what was going on. I mean no idea- there were people running everywhere and I was doing my best to stay just ahead of the approaching mob. It looked like some kind of monster attack thing.

Monday night I woke up having another kind of dream- this was at least more pleasant. In that I didn't feel like I was about to be swallowed up by a crowd of people.

Last night I just couldn't fall asleep and it was sometime close to 12:30 when I finally passed out...then was up at 5:00 and couldn't fall back asleep.

This week has sucked so far. I've got zero patience right now and have been talking with every stupid person possible on the phone. This morning I popped off pretty loudly to someone on the phone.

I think I'm losing my mind-so let this be a warning when that day comes that it completely leaves me.

Saturday was a good day. Went to Shady Maple for breakfast with the camping group and ate large amounts of breakfast food, including M&M pancakes which makes me happy. Bought new sneakers for going to the gym (the old ones were completely worn down) and then went to the Chikara show. So Saturday wasn't a complete loss.

Tonight I have my baseball draft to look forward too so that will give me about 2 hours of joy tonight. Maybe it will turn my week around.
- posted by Brian @ 3/05/2008 12:53:00 PM